In the semiconductor industry, there is a continuing trend toward higher volume processing. Such higher volume processing requires larger inventories of raw materials for manufacturing and produces large quantities of intermediate and finished goods. The raw materials include wafers suitable for being processed into integrated circuits. The finished goods include unpackaged and packaged integrated circuits. Conventionally, inventory control of such items has been performed manually, or not performed at all. For example, wafers produced by the consumer of the wafer and/or wafers received from a supplier of wafers can be stored using manual systems and/or methods (e.g. containers on shelves in warehouses). Locating wafers stored using such manual systems and/or methods can be inefficient and difficult, and thus time-consuming and costly.
There are multiple steps involved in manufacturing integrated circuits. Such steps include, but are not limited to, cleaning a wafer, depositing one or more layers on a wafer, etching one or more features in a wafer, cutting a wafer into pieces and packaging a circuit after it has been cut from a wafer. Such steps can employ manufacturing devices including, but not limited to, steppers and spin tracks. Imperfections may be generated at one or more such steps. Thus, during the multiple manufacturing steps, a wafer may need to be located several times, presented to several manufacturing devices, tested several times and stored several times. Similarly, a circuit cut from a wafer may need to be located repeatedly and processed repeatedly. After packaging, an integrated circuit may, for example, be embedded in a machine or distributed to an integrated circuit consumer. Once the circuit leaves the fabricating facility, it has, conventionally, been difficult to track the circuit, which has hampered external quality control. Locating, tracking and relocating wafers using conventional systems and/or methods can introduce processing delays and can lead to the loss of wafers and/or inappropriate processing (e.g. performing a processing step on a wafer an inappropriate number of times, performing a processing step on the wrong wafer). Similarly, locating, tracking and relocating circuits after they have been cut from wafers using conventional systems and/or methods can introduce processing delays and can lead to the loss of circuits and/or inappropriate processing (e.g. performing an unnecessary step on a circuit, performing a processing step on the wrong circuit).
Wafers may vary in quality, number, properties and availability. Providing a consistent supply of high quality wafers is important to efficient integrated circuit manufacturing. Conventionally, placing orders for wafers may be performed manually, or in accordance with a schedule. Such conventional ordering methods can lead to oversupply, and/or undersupply, which can negatively impact efficient integrated circuit manufacturing.
Thus, there remains a need for a system and method to mitigate problems associated with conventional wafer and circuit inventory and quality control.